


Dealing with Darcy

by Metal_Chocobo



Series: Swords are Remarkably Useless [4]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Minnesota Wild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6652975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Chocobo/pseuds/Metal_Chocobo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sir Jason always thought it unlikely, but within the realm of possibility that he might someday rescue a princess by slaying a dragon. He never thought he’d end up a dragon’s princess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Misunderstanding

It was supposed to be a simple weekend. Squire his eldest brother to several social events and in exchange Jason’s parents would pay all his entry fees to this season’s tournaments. They were desperate for Adam to marry. The man barely talked to unrelated women, much less showed any inclination of producing heirs. Jason’s parents wanted to ensure the family lineage before they departed from this world and Jason privately assumed they wanted grandkids to play with.

At first glance Jason, third son and knight errant, had nothing to do with this issue. However, his parents noted that from a young age Jason had always been the most successful of their children with women. While they hoped he would someday marry an individual with a hefty dowry—or a successful business, or hoard of gold; they weren’t picky as long as Jason was provided for—at the moment they wished for Jason to employ his skills on his brother’s behalf. Jason didn’t have to walk a woman down the aisle for his brother, simply get women talking with Adam. Ideally, some of them would be interested in talking with him again. Jason didn’t think that was really likely, but some younger daughters were willing to endure a lot to become a baroness.

Initially Jason refused his parents’ request to involve himself in Adam’s love life. As far as he could see his brother was a hopeless case. His father pointed out Jason was low enough on funds he wouldn’t be able to ransom back his horse or armor if he lost a joust after paying all his tournament fees. While that on its own wasn’t enough to convince him—Jason was confident in his own abilities and he didn’t care much about money—he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life listening to his mother complain about him being an ungrateful son. Especially when as a knight he was supposed to support his liege lord in any endeavor, which was still his father and would someday be Adam. Payment of his tournament fees would simply be his reward for a job well done. It would be odious work, but well within the knight’s ability.

Jason hadn’t planned on a dragon. Considering the sheer decadence of the ball maybe he should have expected one, but dragons were rare. No one had spotted one outside of a mountain range in years and Duke Shea’s holdings were about as flat as you could get. A dragon hadn’t flown over, much landed, in Webland since the Great Wyrm Wars.

Jason blamed the gold. In an act of typical over compensation Duke Shea had decided to throw a golden ball to announce his new engagement and invited every noble family not currently favored in King Ryan’s court to celebrate. Jason didn’t know who the bride to be was nor did he care as he examined the solid gold stuck in his drink. Everything metal was gold and all the cloth in the hall was dyed saffron, worth more than its weight in gold, to have the same visual effect. 

Jason didn’t want to think about how much time and effort went into plating the ballroom floor with gold; especially as the feet trampling it was already warping the thin fragile metal. The crowning jewel of the ball was the life size ice and gold statue of a saber tooth tiger, the heraldic symbol of Webland. The craftsmen must have worked themselves to death building this gold miracle. Yet all Jason had heard from the guests were praise for Shea or complaints when they found the tiniest of imperfections in their surroundings. These nobles didn’t understand the value of hard work, which is why they were here.

The first inkling Jason had that anything was wrong was when he heard a scream. There was a moment of silence and then the party resumed as if nothing happened. Looking up he saw Adam was safely ensconced between two ladies discussing sash patterns, which he could barely follow, and decided to investigate. The noise came from across the hall. If Jason had to guess, the lady in distress was probably out on the balcony. So the knight pushed his way through the crowd in that direction.

He had just finished crossing the dancing floor when more screams sounded. Multiple screams halted the festivities in way a single one did not. As ladies ran past him in the opposite direction Jason increased his pace. If their reactions were anything to judge by, there was obvious danger and he was sworn to protect the realm.

Panic didn’t fully set in until the dragon appeared in the ballroom. He was a dark green scaly beast; massive enough his wing tips brushed the rafters when he unfurled them. Jason could tell the dragon was male by the shape of his scales; theirs ended with acute points, while females had obtuse points. Smoke rose lazily from his nostrils as he looked around the room with distressingly intelligent eyes. Despite the stories, Jason had assumed dragons were stupid creatures driven by base instinct. Nothing that big and dangerous had any right to intelligence as well; it made them an impossible enemy.

“Dragon!” a young man shouted, sending everyone stampeding for the door.

In this highly agitated state the nobles clogged the doors in their haste to escape. If everyone weren’t so focused on their own immediate safety they could have calmed excited, which would have quickly rescued everyone. Instead they trapped everyone inside the ballroom. Looking over his shoulder Jason could see the shiny gold ass of Shea’s suit of armor stuck in a doorway. Some of his men were cutting women out of their hoop dresses to rescue their lord.

Jason snorted in disgust, shook his head, and drew his sword. As host Shea ought to take charge and ensure his guests’ safety instead of fleeing first. No one was tackling the dragon, which would start eating people any second. That’s what dragons did, eat people. So Jason did what he was supposed to do as a knight and charged him. Best case scenario he’d slay the dragon and win fame and glory. Worst case, he’d buy Adam enough time to escape, since he had been near an exit when the dragon arrived.

The dragon watched Jason’s approach, but made no move to protect itself. Indeed, all the dragon did was lift a hind leg and scratch behind one of the pointed crests on his head. Jason found this unnerving, but thrust his sword into the dragon’s chest with all his might. His sword, made by the finest smiths in the land, crumpled like cheap foil and Jason accidently body slammed the dragon. He bounced off and landed on his ass.

Jason goggled up at the dragon disoriented. If he didn’t know any better he’d say the dragon was silently laughing from the way his scales shook. The dragon lowered his head until he was staring Jason directly in the eye. Jason glared back. He wasn’t afraid. If he were eaten he’d drive his dagger into the dragon’s throat from the inside and take him down that way. Surely the beast was less heavily fortified inside than out. The dragon blew a puff of smoke right in Jason’s face. The knight wanted to cough and shut his eyes, but he grimly maintained eye contact, only acknowledging the smoke with a scowl.

A clawed paw shot out and wrapped around Jason’s torso. He squeezed until the knight gasped out in pain. Then the dragon abruptly turned around. His tail whipped about clearing a wide circle around him. It sent men flying and blasted the saber tooth statue to bits when they collided. Jason struggled to free himself, but all he could do was kick his feet. After they contacted the dragon’s wrist several times the dragon introduced Jason’s face to the floor until he went limp.

The dragon stomped out onto the balcony unopposed. The wooden structure creaked and groaned under the dragon’s massive girth. He slammed his free paws onto the floor and launched himself into the air, only opening his wings once he lost his upward momentum. The balcony broke off the Duke of Webland’s castle and plummeted to the ground. Jason hurled. Everything was spinning and he couldn’t tell if that was the dragon or his addled brain. Possibly both.

The dragon righted himself, flapped his wings twice more, and slipped into a glide along an air current. Jason dangled over a patchwork of fields and forests below. If the dragon dropped him from this height he’d smash into jelly. He couldn’t catch his breath. He didn’t know if that was due to the claws pressed into his chest, the air, or that he had never been so close to dying before. Jason told himself it was one of the first two options.

The dragon flew a vast distance. Jason soon found himself growing cold and bored. Looking down on the varied landscape of the Wildlands could only hold his attention for oh so long. He wasn’t a cartographer after all. He also grew impatient. Surely if the dragon carried him off for a snack he would have eaten Jason by now. If he really wanted captive food there were humans living closer to his home, so he must want Jason for something specific.

Jason tried shouting to the dragon. Legend had it these beasts could talk. However, every time he tried to start a conversation the wind whisked his words away. Also, Jason was pretty certain the dragon was ignoring him. He hadn’t looked directly at Jason since bashing his head into the floor. When they finally reached the mountain range at dusk, Jason was ready to cry in relief. He couldn’t wait to get down. Then the dragon veered hard to the right, increased elevation, and flew north along the range. If he could use his hands he’d beat his captor in frustration. What kind of dragon traveled in right angles?

The sun set leaving Jason with the stars. If there was a moon it must have only been a crescent because he couldn’t see any extra light, though perhaps that was just because the dragon’s bulk blocked his view of the sky. Somehow this change in light made the journey even more monotonous. Jason eventually fell asleep out of sheer boredom.

He woke when the dragon rudely dumped him on the ground. His neck was stiff and it hurt to move. Jason would not recommend sleeping in a dragon’s grip. When he opened his eyes he realized he was in a dimly lit cave. The ground was littered with bones and badly dented armor. He didn’t want to think about what happened to the original wearers. He unsteadily rose to his feet and looked around. The dragon blocked the mouth of the cave.

“What smells so bad in here?” Jason asked, unsure he wanted the answer. It smelled like a mixture of charred death, rotting flesh, and reptile.

“Warthog,” the dragon said. “Now clean it up, princess.”

“Excuse me?” Jason demanded.

“You’re my princess now,” the dragon growled. He opened his wings and stretched his neck to look bigger. It was super effective. “You cook and clean for me or I eat you.”

“Listen you overgrown lizard I am not a princess,” Jason snapped.

“Yes you are,” the dragon hissed. “I found you with all the gold! I captured you! You’re my princess now!”

Jason regretted not feeding Shea’s gold embossed envelope to the family goats the moment it arrived. He knew helping his brother find a wife was a bad idea from the moment he heard it. He should have refused, but he had been afraid of losing Maverick, his stalwart charger, on a bad joust. Most knights insisted upon stallions, but his merry mare danced circles around the other horses and kicked their teeth in. He only attended that ball to keep his horse and now a dragon had cruelly parted them. One that obviously didn’t understand humans.

“All that gold belonged to a duke, not a king, and I’m a knight, not a princess,” Jason snapped. He grabbed a tuft of his beard and shook it. “Don’t you see the beard?”

“You’re not a knight,” the dragon scoffed. “Where’s your armor? Your sword?”

“My gear’s at home,” Jason admitted, shoulders sagging. “As for my sword… it crumpled against your chest.”

“That wasn’t a sword. Swords are long, longer than a knight and they carry them on horses. Always trying to run us through with their swords on horses.”

“That’s a lance.”

“Oh? And I suppose you’re going to tell me this…” the dragon dug around on the floor of the cave and pulled out a mace, “isn’t an egg beater.”

“It’s not. That’s a mace.”

“I’ve beaten eggs with it!”

“I’m sure you have, but it’s still a mace. A knight wouldn’t carry an egg beater into battle.”

The dragon dropped the mace. He rapidly stuck his tongue in and out as his tail lashed. Jason still didn’t know a lot about dragons, but he was pretty certain this one was upset. Jason didn’t know what to do. He was naked as far as things needed to fight a dragon were concerned. None of the tools on the floor would work well either, as the dragon was living proof of that. So he just stood there awkwardly as the dragon threw a hissing fit.

“All the other dragons know I flew out looking for a princess. I’ve been talking about it for months,” the dragon muttered to himself. “Shannon and Mikke will never let me hear the end of it if they found out I brought home a knight.”

“You could just let me go” Jason suggested. “Tell them you didn’t find any princesses up to your standards.”

“No that won’t work. You’ll just have to be my princess,” Darcy insisted. When Jason opened his mouth to protest the dragon growled. “Otherwise I’ll just eat you.”

That made Jason shut his mouth. He really didn’t have any way to protest the dragon’s terms. So he decided to stay silent and bide his time until there was a chance to change his circumstances. After all, there was no way he could escape if he argued about a title until he was eaten. Best to live with the absurdity for now, especially if what Darcy called a “princess” really sounded more like a “maid.”

Looking around the cave Jason had to admit the dragon was right about needing help. Once his eyes adjusted to the light he had realized the mess was far worse than he initially thought. The clutter was fairly low near the entrance, but farther into the cave it was at least knee high—even deeper if there were any unexpected holes in the floor. All of the armor and weapons appeared to be badly damaged: dented, cracked, broken, charred, or melted. Perhaps he could find some decent pieces amidst the wreckage, but when he lifted the visor on one helmet he dropped it immediately. Jason wasn’t afraid of snakes per say, but finding one poking out of the eye socket of a human skull unexpectedly was disconcerting to say the least. It also meant Darcy’s cave was infested with god knows what.

“Okay,” Jason said, admitting defeat. He rolled up his sleeves. “I’m no princess, but I’ll try my best cooking and cleaning for you. It’s gotta be better than what you’ve managed. However, I get my own room. I don’t want to wake up with you in my face every morning, lizard breath.”

“Fine. There’s a small cave near the back of my suite, beyond the kitchen,” Darcy grunted. “You can have that, but do something about this mess before you make yourself at home.”

Jason shrugged, but silently agreed to his terms. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. After a brief walk through of the suite of caves Jason got to work. It took the better part of a week to clean out the worst of the rubble. Mostly that meant tossing all the bones, moving the jewels and precious metals into Darcy’s sleeping cave, and sorting any other materials into piles in the main living cave for further processing.

He also managed to get a feel for his new room and personalized it a bit more to his liking. It was a little awkward sleeping in there at first, as it was clear from the way things were placed the last occupant had left unexpectedly. Books, tools, and a half finished letter were all sitting out as if their owner was expected to waltz in at any moment. Jason hoped that she—the clothing told him it had been a woman living here roughly when he was a child—whoever she was had escaped and not simply been eaten.

Cooking did not come as naturally as cleaning to Jason. He had always known when something was or wasn’t in the right place and never felt right until he put it where it belonged. Jason had no such innate understanding of cooking. Sure, his mom insisted he learn a little bit, mostly to ensure he didn’t give himself food poisoning while traveling on his own. He hadn’t really listened to his mother or the family cook during those lessons, but after six months of demonstrative lessons and having to warm up provisions for his knight master as a squire, surely something must have stuck. Hopefully it was enough to satisfy Darcy. From the disastrous state of the pots and pans in the kitchen Jason figured he couldn’t be any worse than the dragon.

It took far longer than cleaning the caves, but he eventually found a rhythm in the kitchen. Darcy’s initial understanding of cooking was to either eat something raw or char it with his fire breath until it was a blackened mess. Neither was especially palatable. That was why it immediately became Jason’s job to cook it. At first he was at a loss on how to satisfy their respective ideas of what consisted of a good meal, however, the cave’s kitchen was fully stocked, which included a massive hearth, more utensils than the king’s kitchen, annotated cook books with notations on dragon palate, and an exquisite rack of spices. That was the most impressive acquisition of all. Jason didn’t know who had carefully collected them, but the dragon had a fortune in spices at his disposal. At first Jason was very careful adding any to their meals, but when he found the remains of a horribly overgrown garden filled with spices gone wild, Jason applied them liberally to their meals with little disregard for conservation. The seasonings made the mountain goat Darcy usually brought home for him palatable.

After Jason found the spice garden he took a greater survey of the surrounding area. There was no easy way down the mountain; Darcy’s cave was located on a small plateau with a very steep drop. The only direction he could go was up. Since that was the last way he really wanted to go, especially when up appeared so exposed that Darcy could easily hunt him down if he ever tried to escape, Jason decided to stay where he was. At least his explorations garnered him a second larger garden, which was an overgrown vegetable patch. He wasn’t overly fond of vegetables, but they were a lifesaver after weeks of eating nothing but wild game. It was variety.

That was something he needed most in his life these days. Despite living with a dragon his life had become extremely monotonous. Darcy spent a lot of his time sleeping, either on his hoard of gold or else lounging outside in the sun like the largest cat imaginable. Often he only woke to eat or fly away leaving Jason all alone. Not that he wanted to admit it, but Jason was bored and lonely. He missed having someone to talk to; especially now that the cave was clean enough he couldn’t block out his loneliness with cleaning. That was why he threw himself into gardening, despite never having anything remotely resembling a green thumb. Within weeks he had both gardens under control enough there was no more than an hour or two of daily weeding and then Jason was at a loss yet again. By that point he had repeatedly read all of the last tenant’s books. He was desperate for companionship.

That’s the only reason he did what he did next. That night when Darcy came in to gobble down goat stew Jason blocked his path. The dragon tried to push his way past, but the knight hit him on the nose has hard as he could with a frying pan. Darcy yelped in pain and backed off when Jason waved it menacingly.

“What gives?” Darcy growled, smoke curling out of his nostrils as he huffed in annoyance. He repeatedly tried to move into the kitchen, but Jason’s frying pan kept him at bay.

“I’ve been cooking and cleaning for you for months and you don’t have the decency to thank me!” Jason snapped.

“Thank you,” Darcy said. “Can I eat now?”

“No! Talk to me, damn it! I’m going crazy here, I need people! Why do you think people live together? I’m an extremely social being and you’ve barely said three sentences to me in the three months I’ve been stuck here! All you do is eat, or sleep, or fly away leaving me stuck here on my own. Until we have a proper conversation I’m not making you a damn thing and you can fucking eat me if you’d like! I don’t care anymore!”

Darcy stepped forward as if he was seriously considering taking Jason up on his offer. Jason hefted the frying pan, readying himself for a fight. He really didn’t want to fight a dragon, especially not with a frying pan, but if he didn’t go on the offensive now, he’d be crazy before his situation improved.

“I gotta warn ya, Darcy, if you do eat me and I’ll give you the worst indigestion of your life!”

Darcy made that same silent laughing shake he made the first night they met. Jason slowly lowered his weapon. He was pretty certain Darcy found his actions amusing and had decided not to attack. He waited for the laughing fit to end.

“A conversation, eh?” Darcy said, tail flicking back and forth. “That seems fair enough. What would you like to talk about?”

Jason was silent for a moment. He hadn’t expected that particular question. Darcy had been so sullen and grumpy when he first arrived he assumed even the conversation would be combative. Perhaps his cooking had softened the dragon up. Or maybe, just maybe, Darcy was just as interested in talking.

“What did you see on your flight today?” Jason asked. “You were gone for hours, far longer than you usually bother hunting, and you didn’t bring anything home with you.”

“I flew north to the sea to hear the sirens sing,” Darcy said, his eyes slightly unfocused. He sat down then stretched out on his belly taking up most of the kitchen floor. Jason almost fell over when one of his claws accidentally hit his shin and he soon found himself sitting on the back of Darcy’s left hand. “There’s a siren who has a call I’m particularly fond of. Her name is Taylor and her favorite singing rock sits at the end of the swiftest riptide along the coast. I love to glide along the air currents above and listen to her sing for hours.”

“I thought sirens sang to drown sailors.”

“They do, but Taylor knows far better than to mess with a dragon. Her songs don’t work on me.” Something about the way Darcy said that made Jason think he wasn’t telling him the whole story. After a bit of prodding he got the truth out of him.

“Come on, fess up, what’s the truth?” Jason asked, wiggling one of Darcy’s claws. “I’m gonna keep bugging you until you tell me.”

“Okay,” Darcy admitted as the scales along his neck tinged pink. It was an odd look on a dragon. “They do, they totally do work, but every time I tried to get close she screamed and dove for cover in the water. When I was younger I hoped I could get her to sing just for me, but cracking my head on her rock a few times cured me of that notion. Now I keep my distance and fly high above listening to her songs until I get tired, but only when I really need to hear her voice. Used to go a lot more than I do now.”

“I hear ya, you wouldn’t believe the sort of stupid shit I used to do to impress girls,” Jason laughed. “Probably still do it if there were any girls around to impress.”

They talked for hours about Jason’s love life and Darcy’s favorite things to fly over. By the time either of them remembered the stew it had gone cold and needed reheating. It turned out both men were hungry for more than just food. Jason realized when Darcy offered to fly him around the area—a proper flight on his back, not gripped in his claws—that the dragon was far lonelier than he. After all, from all appearances he had been alone for a lot longer than Jason. Dragons were supposed to be mostly solitary creatures, but considering how often they took princesses and kept them as companions that seemed suspect. Combined with Darcy’s unexpectedly bubbly nature once he got him talking Jason wondered if he was actually a people-dragon.

That night was a turning point in their relationship. Darcy still didn’t bother to help Jason with his chores, but he’d sit nearby him while he worked and they talked. Jason found himself telling Darcy all about his family and his training. He also told Darcy the places he had visited over the years. Darcy soaked it all up like an eager sponge. He was so excited to hear about Jason’s adventures that Jason found himself exaggerating his feats, though he never once appropriated anyone else’s accomplishments. He was better than that.

In exchange Darcy took Jason flying, usually along the mountain range. He’d have to wear a thick wool coat and goggles to protect himself from the elements, but it was worth the hassle. Not only did it mean getting out of the cave, flying astride a dragon was more exhilarating than anything else Jason had ever done. He liked seeing the world below him and it was exciting when Darcy blew fire or decided to do aerial tricks for him. Jason knew that if he ever got the chance to escape he would in a heartbeat, but he’d miss the flying. There was nothing else like it in the world.


	2. Visitors

One morning as fall was setting in Jason got up early to harvest the rest of the vegetables. He wanted to get it done before Darcy got underfoot. As much as he enjoyed the dragon’s company, Darcy usually got in his way when Jason was working, often with disastrous results—which their former wheelbarrow, turned kindling could attest to—just like the cats back home. However, when he reached the patch Jason was dismayed to find all the vegetables frosted over. Dropping to his knees beside his beautiful and now burst open pumpkin Jason swore violently. Darcy had said the frost didn’t usually come for another week or two up here and as far as Jason could tell his garden patch was the only foliage frozen over. He froze as well when he heard a giggle.

“Oh my, whatever happened to your garden patch?” a woman called.

Jason turned slowly toward the source of the noise and drew his knife. He wished he had one of the other weapons from the cave, but he had gotten out of the habit of carrying anything larger than his knife. Usually that or Darcy got the job depending on what the threat was. Looking up he spotted a black haired woman up on the ridge above Darcy’s plateau. She looked human, but Jason didn’t trust looks. From his flights with Darcy he knew there was no simple way for a lady to climb up here. That meant she flew up here on her own or something else brought her. Either way she was dangerous until proven innocuous. 

“It appears something froze my crops,” Jason replied. “Do you know anything about it?”

“Oh no, that wasn’t supposed to happen,” the woman cried. She put a leg over the ridge and carefully began climbing down the embankment. “They’re probably all ruined, but let me help check to see if she missed any.”

“She?” Jason asked as an unexpectedly harsh cold wind blew across his back. He stilled when he heard something very large snort.

“Drop the knife or I drop you,” a woman growled. From the corner of his eye Jason could see something large, pale blue, and scaly twisting behind him. He didn’t want to, but he dropped the knife.

“Oh Shannon, calm down. He won’t harm me,” the woman laughed. She smiled broadly at Jason. “Greetings, I am Nana Fijumoto, the princess of Shannon the frost dragon.”

“Jason Zucker,” Jason said, bowing stiffly.

“Are you really Darcy’s new princess?” Nana asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. She looked like she was trying not to laugh. “Shannon says Darcy’s been bragging about you for months.”

“That’s what he says,” Jason said. “I umm… tend not to argue with him about labels.”

“She doesn’t look like much,” Shannon groused. “Why does she have a beard?”

Jason finally turned to look at the frost dragon. She was surprisingly serpentine in comparison to Darcy’s more compact form and the spiked ridge of scales along her back were almost feathery looking as they faded to white along the edges. Her body coiled around the edges of the garden and he didn’t know how he missed her when he first came outside.

“Says the dragon with a mustache,” Jason retorted back. Shannon snapped her teeth at him and ran a claw down her mustache. Nana stepped between the knight and dragon.

“Now now, some women can grow beards.” Nana smirked at Jason, knowing full well that wasn’t the case in this particular instance. “Jason is Darcy’s princess and deserves all the proper respect. We are guests, Shannon.” The frost dragon growled and shook her head. Nana walked over and began rubbing the spot on Shannon’s head between her horns. She looked back to Jason. “Why don’t you run in and tell Darcy we’re here? Oh, and you should put the kettle on. Shannon prefers green tea.”

Perhaps because the situation was so surreal Jason did exactly as he was told. At least, he ran into the cave and shook Darcy awake. That took longer than it should have, mostly because Darcy hated being woken, and the urgency of the situation left Jason less coherent than he would have liked. Strange dragons had that effect on him. Especially when she suddenly popped her head into Darcy’s treasure room, which only had one entrance. If this became a territorial dispute Jason was not making it out of the cavern alive.

Darcy groaned and shook his head while Shannon stared at them. Jason swore. It typically took Darcy another ten to twenty minutes to fully wake up and they’d end up dead if this blue dragon wished them harm. Jason grabbed the first heavy object he could lay his hands on and hurled it at Shannon. The dragon jerked her head out of the cavern to narrowly avoid a jewel-encrusted chamber pot. Jason grabbed another object and hunkered down using Darcy as cover. If he was going to protect them the least his dragon could do was keep him from getting roasted.

He threw something at Shannon every time she poked her head into the chamber. At first she seemed annoyed by his actions, if the frost coating that end of the room was any indication, but after a while she almost seemed amused by it. Nana was nowhere in sight, likely to avoid being hit. Jason’s aim was awful.

Jason was relieved when Darcy finally woke up. He had run out of items to throw, which meant Shannon’s head and neck slowly slithered toward them. With a groan and a lot of huffed smoke Darcy rose then shook. Coins and dragon scales flew everywhere. Jason slapped Darcy’s haunch, urging him forward to fend off the strange dragon.

“Go get her, Darcy!” Jason shouted.

“What are you going on about?” Darcy whined, turning back to look at him. “You sound a lot more screechy than usual today.”

“Your _princess_ seems pretty high strung,” Shannon rumbled, stressing Jason’s epithet. 

“My princess?” Darcy parroted, running a claw across his face. “Shannon what are you doing here?”

“I heard your trip was successful,” Shannon said. “I wanted to meet your new princess and see how you two were doing.”

“We’re fine,” Darcy growled. His tail thrashed twice before curling tightly around Jason and pulling him close. “Jason’s the best princess ever!”

“I find that claim hard to believe,” Shannon sniffed. “I have yet to meet a princess Nana’s equal.”

“Jason cleaned all my caverns and sorted out all the odds and ends I’ve collected over the years. He’s also a decent cook. We’ve been learning new recipes together.”

“That’s basic princess duties, Darcy,” Shannon said, examining a claw. “You’ve gotta raise your standards above bare minimum if you want a quality princess.”

“Jason’s great!” Darcy snarled. “He didn’t run away, but came to me, which is how I knew he was my princess. He’s never been afraid of me and we get on well because he’s not afraid to speak his mind. Why, he’s even planted a garden patch to improve our meals!”

“I’m sorry, Darcy, but we killed your vegetables,” Nana said, pushing her dragon aside far enough to come into the cave as well. “It was an accident. However, we will replace the vegetables.”

“We will?” Shannon asked. Nana frowned sternly at her. After a moment the dragon sighed. “We will.”

“Now that everything is settled, Darcy, it is wonderful to see you!” Nana greeted him. “I think you have gotten bigger since the last time I saw you. Oh my, have your spines come in already?”

“Yes,” Darcy preened under Nana’s gaze. He flexed the sharp-ridged scales that went down the center of his back, causing them to rise and shake. It was a little unnerving for Jason to witness. “That was how I knew it was time to go find a princess.”

“They are handsome,” Nana said. “Jason, I hope you do not mind, but since you were busy with Darcy, I took the liberty of putting the tea kettle on to boil.”

“No, that’s fine,” Jason said. Tea was the last thing on his mind.

“Could you please accompany me to the kitchen? I’m afraid I no longer know where the supplies are kept.”

“Ah sure.”

With much care Jason slipped out of Darcy’s grasp then slid past Shannon’s undulating body. Everything about the situation felt surreal and he was starting to wonder if he was imaging everything. Perhaps he had been thrown from his horse and the last several months were a fever dream. That made more sense than this. After all, head trauma was far more realistic than him helping a princess make tea for two dragons.

“You have questions,” Nana said as soon as they entered the kitchen.

“Yeah, what is going on? I thought dragons were super territorial. They don’t visit each other for tea!”

“Ours do. I think Shannon likes to keep an eye on Darcy because he’s very young for a dragon and she prefers having him as her nearest neighbor compared to the other options,” Nana said. “Where do you keep the tea?”

Jason retrieved the large tin full of tea leaves from a cupboard. Nana put a couple pinches into a light blue teapot Jason didn’t recognize. When he tried to put the tin away, she lightly slapped his hands. To his surprise Nana pulled a large porcelain barrel out from under the sink, rolled it over to the cauldron of boiling water, and dumped half a pint of tea leaves into it.

“Can you roll the other cup here? They are quite heavy.”

“Sure,” Jason said, surprised to realize Darcy had dragon sized teacups. He carried the other cup over. Soon Nana had both cups steeping. “How long have you been a dragon’s princess?”

“Almost a decade. I enjoy living with Shannon.” Nana smiled at Jason’s incredulous look. “My father wanted to marry me off to a daimyo old enough to be my grandfather for political gain. I did not want to marry him. Then Shannon came along and offered me a chance not only a chance to escape, but to also see the world. Naturally I accepted.”

“You really think living with a dragon is better than living with a husband?”

“Shannon respects me. My opinions matter to her and we are a team. She has even offered to help find me a husband, but I prefer living with her. Most men I have met have been unwilling to listen to or respect their wives and I refuse to endure that situation; not after knowing Shannon and freedom.”

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Most men do not. Now, how did Darcy bring you home instead of an actual princess, or at least a lady?”

“I tried to slay him and he assumed I was a princess and carried me back here.” Jason felt compelled to explain the situation further as Nana stared him down. It wasn’t an actual glare, but he could feel the disapproval radiating from her. “He had just crashed a ball and there was major panic because everyone thought he was there to eat us! I figured I’d wind up dead trying to battle a dragon with just a sword in fancy dress, but it would have given the others more time to escape. He was the one who misunderstood and, when I explained I was a knight, he insisted I was princess and that I’d act like one.”

“Oh Darcy,” Nana sighed. “He’s such a needy dragon.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known Shannon. Where she goes, I go because she worries some awful knight will abduct me or something will eat me—her protective streak is adorable—and so I have visited with Darcy many times. He is not as high strung as Mikke, but he’s a lonely dragon and needs a friend. While I appreciate this is not the life you chose, I am grateful you have stood by him. He seems happier now.”

Jason didn’t have anything to say about that. Nana offered to answer any questions he might have about living with a dragon, even though they lived with very different dragons, and promised to always be a ready ear if he needed to vent. As much as she loved her dragon, she also understood how vexing they could be. Jason appreciated her offer, but he would have preferred a rescue. He didn’t care if it seemed unmanly to want help instead of escaping on his, but he was trapped on a plateau with a dragon. That was an effective prison.

The ladies stayed for most of the day. Shannon made a few comments about eating Jason alive, but they seemed more directed at Darcy to get a rise out of him than anything else. Otherwise she behaved admirably. She never once suggested Jason wasn’t a princess. Nana was an absolute peach and smoothed over ruffled scales like no one’s business. Jason could see why Shannon was fond of her. If they both weren’t acting as dragons’ princesses he’d consider proposing to her on the spot.

When they were about to leave Nana unexpectedly threw her arms around Jason’s neck and pulled him down into a tight hug. “It was so nice to meet you, Jason.”

“Likewise,” Jason laughed nervously. Shannon’s icy stare pierced him to the quick.

“Don’t worry about Darcy eating you,” Nana whispered. “They’d never admit it, but dragons are notorious hoarders. He might threaten to do it, but now that he considers you his, he’d never harm you because that would mean losing part of his collection. Worry about the other dragons.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better about my situation,” Jason said.

“Sorry,” Nana laughed. “I just wanted you to understand that dragon and princess are more partners than master and servant. Don’t let him have his way just because he throws a temper tantrum. They can be alarming, but you’re never in real danger with your dragon.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jason promised. Perhaps that would come in handy.

“Nana, it’s time,” Shannon said. 

Nana grinned at her dragon then scrambled onto her back. With nary a twitch Shannon rose into the air. Well, at least that answered one question for Jason; magic was essential for dragon flight. While Darcy had large wings, they simply didn’t seem large enough to carry his massive girth through the skies. Nana waved at them and both Jason and Darcy waved back. Then Shannon slithered toward the moon.

“I’m so happy they’re finally gone,” Darcy groaned.

“Are you serious? I thought they were your friends,” Jason said. “They seemed pretty nice to me… well, Nana was.”

“They are, but I’ve been hungry for hours and I didn’t want to leave you alone with Shannon,” Darcy said. “She wanted to eat you.”

“Nana told me these days Shannon only eats people who threaten them. It was one of her rules.”

“And I didn’t want her deciding you were a threat,” Darcy replied. Jason didn’t actually have a response for that. “I’ll go find dinner. See you soon.”

“Wait, I want to come along.”

Darcy stilled the way only reptiles could. His pupil turned back to focus on Jason, which made the hairs on the back of the knight’s neck rise. While Darcy had taken him flying, they had always been short trips and the dragon never killed or attacked anything on them. Jason had seen the results of such incidents, as Darcy often brought carcasses home, but he had never seen his dragon being violent. He hadn’t really thought about it before, but now realized Darcy intentionally engineered this. Still, Jason stood his ground because he if he didn’t push now, he didn’t know if he ever would.

“You don’t need to do that,” Darcy said. “If you want me to bring home something in particular, I can do that. Why don’t you get the kitchen ready?”

“No, I’m coming along.” Jason straightened and glared at Darcy. “Shannon takes Nana everywhere she goes and they’re equals. Aren’t we also supposed to be a team?”

Darcy inclined his head. Jason waited impatiently for the dragon to answer. Darcy was probably trying to come up with a reason for why Jason couldn’t come along, but couldn’t think of any. Both their stomachs were growling now, so it was silly he was still trying to delay things.

“Well?” Darcy growled.

“Well what?”

“Are you getting on?” Darcy demanded. “I want to get dinner.”

“Oh!” Jason surged forward. He hadn’t realized Darcy had already given in to his demand. He grabbed onto a couple of Darcy’s gnarled back spines and hoisted himself up onto the dragon’s shoulders. Sure, he wasn’t dressed for flying, but this would be a quick trip and Darcy was warm under him.

Darcy flapped his wings a few times then took off. He flew along the mountain range scouring for wildlife. Jason wondered if Darcy would have descended and looked for domesticated animals if he wasn’t on his back. Hunting in Wisconsin or Wildlands pasture was by far Jason’s best chance for escape. There’d be other people who could help him and he wouldn’t have to get off a mountain.

His thoughts of escape evaporated when Darcy suddenly went into a nosedive. Screeching, Jason clung to the dragon as best as he could as they hurtled toward the cliff side. If he didn’t fall off from the dragon’s unexpected shifts, Jason was certain he’d be hurled off when the dragon came to a stop.

Instead the dragon suddenly shifted directions again, this time turning into an ascent. Jason felt his stomach drop, but he was still firmly on Darcy’s back. Once they returned to Darcy’s typical cruising decent the dragon wheeled around in a giant circle toward home.

“What the fuck was that?” Jason demanded, still plastered against Darcy’s neck. At least his position put him close enough to Darcy’s ear that Jason knew he heard him.

“I caught a ram,” Darcy said. “That should fill you up.”

“You’ve got a squirming sheep in your claws?” Jason asked. He remembered what it was like to be trapped in that situation.

“Of course not,” Darcy chuckled. “I snapped his neck when I caught him.”

“So you hunt like a hawk?” Jason remembered the falconry lessons with his father when he was young. It had never been his favorite activity, but he still dabbled. Darcy’s actions were definitely similar.

“Sometimes.”

The dragon said no more as they flew home. Darcy dropped the ram then landed next to it, allowing Jason to dismount. As soon as he was off his back Darcy took off again without a word. That stung a bit, but one ram wouldn’t feed a man and a dragon so it made sense he still needed to hunt. Besides, Jason didn’t think he could stomach another dive tonight. By the time Darcy returned with another dead sheep Jason had skinned and dressed the meat. He quickly did the same with the other carcass and stuck them on skewers in the kitchen.

“I assume you want yours cooked and seasoned as well?” Jason asked. “It’ll take a while to cook them evenly, but I’ll get a fire started pretty quick, and then they just have to be rotated.”

“I can speed things up. Dragon fire is far hotter than any kitchen fire you can create,” Darcy said. 

Before Jason could protest Darcy shot a thin stream of fire onto the ram with enough force it caused the spit to turn on its own. He watched for a minute to ensure Darcy really did have the situation under control then turned back to the other sheep, which still needed to be seasoned. Jason rubbed some herbs over the meat, then pulled out the ground pepper and liberally shook it. However, he either used too much force or the shaker was simply too old to be used because it broke open enveloping them in a cloud of seasoning.

Jason immediately shut his eyes, though they were already watering as he coughed and sneezed. He dropped to all fours in an attempt to get out of the floating pepper particles. It was a good thing he did because Darcy bellowed three times in quick succession and Jason felt an unbearable heat pass over him each time. As soon as he could move he crawled out of the kitchen as fast as possible.

“Jason?” Darcy called. “Jason, are you alright? Please tell me I didn’t just incinerate you.”

Jason wanted to tell him he was fine, but his system was still overcome with pepper. The dragon became hysterical waiting for a response. Soon the cave was filled with a high-pitched keening. By the time Jason finally wiped enough pepper out of his eyes to open them he found Darcy collapsed in a heap sobbing. The ram Darcy had been cooking was a blackened mass of carbon, several new scorch marks decorated the room, and most of the kitchen’s cabinets were on fire. Basically, what one would expect after a dragon had a sneezing fit.

“Dude, I’m okay,” Jason said, stumbling over to the dragon. He patted the dragon’s head awkwardly as he continued to weep. “Everything’s okay, so stop crying.”

“I wreck everything!” Darcy wailed.

“That’s a bit of an overreaction. We can fix the kitchen and go get a cow or something,” Jason said reasonably. “Cooking’s not your strong suit, but I learned a lot of my mom’s recipes, so we’re good.”

“My mother knew how to perfectly crisp a boar within minutes and she never had accidental fiery outbursts,” Darcy sighed dreamily. Jason held his breath, hoping the change in subject had calmed him down, but then Darcy’s face crumpled and he howled even louder.

“Couldn’t you just ask her how to control your dragon breath?” Jason shouted. “That seems like something she ought to have taught you!”

“She’s dead!” Darcy snapped. “And it’s my fault!”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry man.” Jason did not know what to do. He couldn’t imagine what Darcy might have done, which resulted in his mother’s death, but he doubted it was actually his fault. The dragon was so hapless Jason couldn’t see how he could possibly harm an adult dragon.

“This used to be her cave. I lived here with her and Cammi, our princess,” Darcy said. He had quieted, but he had this glassy eyed stare that told Jason he was lost in the past. “It was almost my birthday and Cammi was making me a cake because she said that’s how birthdays were supposed to be celebrated. Mom brought her roc eggs so she could make a cake big enough for dragons. We were so happy…”

“Yeah?”

“Cammi used to run a wire comb over my scales every night until I fell asleep. It was grooming to remove any loose ones, but it always left me feeling safe and sleepy,” Darcy continued. “It was especially important because my flight scales were just starting to come in. I couldn’t really fly yet, just make extended airborne hops ten, fifteen feet off the ground, but Mom and Cammi were so proud of me.”

“I’m sure they were.”

“But then the knight came,” Darcy growled. Jason pulled back as all the dragon’s spines stood on end, like hackles on a dog. “Cammi had me hid in some bushes outside the cave while Mom fought. Normally she could eat any knight that attacked us, but he had a lance and exploding dust that blew holes through her scales. She was outmatched. She should have flown away, she should have escaped, but she stayed and fought because I couldn’t fly. He would find me if she left. So she stayed and she died protecting me. Then the knight took Cammi and I was all alone.”

“Oh buddy, I’m so sorry.”

“She cried for Mom as he carried her away on the back of a stupid white horse. Mom had built a rope bridge across the gorge to a mountain pass to make things easier for Cammi, but if she had known a knight would use it to kill Mom Cammi would have cut it down herself. She loved us and we loved her.” Darcy lapsed into silence.

Jason had no words for the loss. He gently rubbed his thumb along the scales between Darcy’s eyes. It was the only comfort he could offer.

“It was hard growing up along. Other dragons tried to take my hoard once they realized Mom was dead. Shannon helped with intruders because Mom had been a good neighbor, but I was on my own for everything else. Mom was gone forever, but I thought if I got big enough quick enough I could get Cammi back. I could bring our princess home and things would be okay again. But dragons take a long time to grow up. By the time I was big enough to carry her—I tested carrying cows because I didn’t want to accidentally drop her—Cammi had married the knight and not only had children, but her children had children.

“I left before she saw me because I couldn’t take her away. She wouldn’t have been happy without them. I failed completely in fixing things with Cammi, but I thought maybe getting a different princess would solve the problem. I could have a new family. So I sought out the place with the most gold to find a new princess because princesses are always with gold. When I arrived everyone screamed and ran away except for one princess, who came right up to me. I was happy because I thought I had found my match.”

“But what you got was me,” Jason finished for him. “Another knight.”

Darcy nodded, lapsing back into more tears. Jason’s chest hurt like someone was squeezing his heart. He wanted to fix things for this sad lonely dragon, but there wasn’t much he could do. He couldn’t turn back time, bring back the dead, or heal grief this strong, but Jason could be there for Darcy. He could choose to stay.

As Darcy lay on the floor Jason put out the kitchen fires before they lost the entire pantry. Luckily the wood gave off shockingly little smoke; otherwise he probably would have choked to death dealing with Darcy. Then Jason went back into the network of caverns and dug through Darcy’s treasure hoard until he found one particular item. It was an iron curry brush that until tonight Jason had never understood why Darcy considered it a treasure. He returned to the kitchen and ran the curry brush over the dragon’s hide until Darcy fell asleep. Exhausted, Jason didn’t bother to scrounge up any dinner for himself and simply settled on top of him for the night.


	3. Transformation

Several days passed before Darcy was well enough to joke around with Jason again. Every night since Darcy’s breakdown Jason had groomed the dragon until he fell asleep. They didn’t talk about it, but Jason knew Darcy appreciated the care and attention. He adored affection. As soon as Darcy was up and moving again he decided to take Jason to visit his other dragon friend, a young curmudgeonly dragon by the name of Mikke.

Jason didn’t know if he wanted to meet an ill-tempered dragon, but Darcy waved off his worries. Every time he started to suggest that showing up unannounced at another dragon’s cave was a bad idea, Darcy launched his own explanation of why this was okay.

“Mikke’s a weird dragon, who always likes company, even when he says he doesn’t,” Darcy insisted. “You’ll be fine. Unlike other dragons, when he gets cranky he sulks in his treasure hoard, which isn’t even a proper hoard. He mixes socks with his gold!” 

“Socks?” Jason asked. “Seriously?”

“Yeah! I’ve even offered to help him pull them out, but he got all huffy. Thought he was worried I’d steal some of his gold, but then I saw him add more socks to it. Mikke’s pile must be at least one part sock to every three parts precious metals!”

“I’ve never heard of dragons hoarding socks before,” Jason said. “I wonder why he keeps those too.”

“I don’t know,” Darcy shrugged. “You can ask him when we arrive.”

Before Jason could protest any longer the dragon scooped him into a massive claw and took off. Jason was not pleased to be riding in clawed grip again, but Darcy did eventually shift him to his back midflight. That made the trip more comfortable. Still, the trip ended far too soon for Jason’s liking. 

Darcy touched down on a much rockier surface than the one surrounding their cave. As soon as he had landed the dragon reared up and flattened his back spines, which sent Jason sliding backwards until he tumbled off unexpectedly. He slid through the pebbles a few feet before coming to a stop, but was unharmed from the fall. A moment after he stopped Jason was back on his feet and by Darcy’s hindquarters again.

“Do you see him anywhere?” Jason asked, glancing around. Even though he knew his sword was useless, he still wished he had it. It was a comfort thing for him more than anything else.

“He’s inside. Mikke is fairly housebound.”

Without explaining what a housebound dragon was, Darcy stalked toward the cave. Jason followed. As they got closer he could hear shouting coming from inside the cave. At first he wondered if Mikke was talking to himself like Darcy did from time to time, an artifact from extended periods living alone, but then Jason deciphered different voices. There had to be at least two people in the cave.

Perhaps it was cowardly, but Jason let Darcy poke his head in first. Mostly because he didn’t want to be incinerated by an errant fireball, which Darcy could handle. Jason believed he was being smart, choosing the right amount of risk for what he could withstand. When Darcy wasn’t immediately attacked Jason went inside as well. 

That was when Jason caught sight of a new dragon. He was a much smaller dragon than Darcy, not only in height, but general size as well. Before this moment Jason never would have called a dragon slight. Dull olive scales covering most of his body. The ones along his belly had a more yellow sheen than the rest. In comparison to Shannon or Darcy he simply didn’t look healthy.

Even more unexpectedly, the dragon seemed to be almost cowering defensively as he hissed at a shouting man. The man was obviously a wizard, he had the hat and robes, and looked vaguely familiar to Jason. Likely, he was one of King Ryan’s court wizards, but that didn’t explain what he was doing up here. Perhaps wizards regularly shouted at dragons. However, from the way a second man, who did not seem to be a wizard, uneasy observed the heated exchange Jason didn’t think so.

“Mikke, it’s time. End this farce!” the wizard shouted.

“Leave me alone, Mikko, I’m fine,” Mikke whined, lashing his tail. “Get out of my business!”

“You are my business, Mikke! I don’t want you ruining your life because it’s easier to let everything stagnant than take action. That is a bad route, Mikke!”

“I am doing important things, the most important things!” Mikke snarled. “I am a dragon doing important things!”

“Nino,” Mikko snapped, glaring at the other man. “Knock some sense into him!”

“Hello,” Jason interrupted. He finally recognized Mikko as the Wildlands’ top court wizard. Jason generally thought him a decent man, which made Mikko forcing some poor guy into roughing up a dragon out of character. This could end poorly. “Sorry to intrude, but Darcy wanted to visit. Hope this is an okay time.”

All of Mikke’s scales bristled and Jason thought he was going to throw a fit. However, the dragon eventually relaxed and puffed out a small cloud of smoke. “It’s fine. Welcome Darcy. Come in.”

Darcy stalked into the cave. As he moved in his sheer mass filled all the open space—really it was shocking how little room there was in Mikke’s cave—forcing out the humans. Suddenly, Jason found himself standing outside with the other men while the dragons huddled inside. Somehow the situation was more awkward than it ought to have been being around just humans again. Mere weeks ago Jason would have killed to be left alone in this situation.

“Who are you?” Mikko demanded. He was still clearly agitated from his argument.

“Sir Jason Zucker. I’ve been living with Darcy for the last few months or however long it’s been since the Duke of Webland’s disastrous engagement ball,” Jason explained. “He thought I was a princess and I’ve been sort of acting like one for him ever since.”

“I remember you,” Mikko frowned. “Your family thought you were eaten. The Zuckers have been in mourning for almost a year now.”

“Oh no, I should have realized this would happen,” Jason moaned. “Shit, Mom must be devastated.”

“They gave you a lovely funeral,” Nino said. Jason thought he was trying to make him feel better. It didn’t help.

“After realizing there was no escaping Darcy I’ve been too busy managing him and meeting random dragons to let my family know I’m safe.” Jason shook his head, trying to shake off the sudden guilt. “I don’t think there was a way to contact them, but I hadn’t even thought to check. Darcy doesn’t like me out of his sight and you’re the first humans I’ve met who wasn’t a dragon’s princess.”

“Would you like me to take you home?” Mikko offered. “Now that the dragon arrived we aren’t going to get through to Mikke today. He gets more stubborn when dragons are around. Since I am already bringing Nino back with me, it would be no trouble to take you as well.”

“Thanks, but no,” Jason said.

“What? You’re too good to take a wizard’s help?” Nino asked. “I get that as a knight you’ve got chivalry and a code, but if you haven’t rescued yourself by now, maybe it’s time to accept some help. Mikko is the best wizard I know and I’ve met a lot of wizards.”

“No, it’s not that. I meant no offense,” Jason said. “I appreciate the offer and until fairly recently I would have gladly taken you up on it. I’ve come to understand Darcy and I don’t think I can leave him now. He’s pretty hopeless without me.”

“I see,” Mikko said. “I still don’t like the idea of leaving you with a dragon. They can be fickle.”

“They can,” Jason agreed. “However, I’m confident I can handle whatever he dishes out. Especially since he doesn’t really want to hurt me and I’d just need to outlast a temper flare.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in that dragon.”

“I am, but I think he’s worth it,” Jason said. “If I may still beg a favor from you, please tell my family that I’m alive and safe.”

“Of course,” Mikko promised. Surprisingly, he bowed to Jason. After a moment both Jason and Nino bowed as well. Neither of them had expected formality just outside of a dragon’s cave. Then Mikko grabbed Nino by the ear and both disappeared, leaving only a purple cloud that smelled vaguely of cabbage.

Jason was startled by the sudden teleportation. Sudden magic always caught him off guard, especially when humans did it. This was mostly because he never expected humans, simple ordinary humans, to do the extraordinary. Looking around as if expecting them to immediately come back, Jason eventually shrugged and headed inside.

Mikke and Darcy were comfortably seated inside the cave. They broke off their conversation when Jason entered. There was a moment of panic for the knight having a pair of dragons staring him down, but that quickly passed because one of them was Darcy. He grinned at both of them then sat on Darcy’s tail.

“Mikke, this is Jason, my princess,” Darcy introduced. “Jason, this is my friend, Mikke. He’s been my closest neighbor for the past decade. Before that Shannon was my closest neighbor and only friend.”

“Hello,” Jason said, giving him a vague wave. Mikke peered down at him silently. “So, how do you know Mikko? I didn’t think court wizards associated with dragons.”

“How do you know Mikko?” Mikke snarled. It was an overreaction to the extreme. 

As much as he wanted to cower behind Darcy, Jason sat his ground and glared back. He was fairly confident that Mikke would back down, but he didn’t know this dragon. It was a minor gamble, but he needed to do something after hearing about the heartache his capture had caused his family. Darcy growled at Mikke as well, which surprisingly was enough to make Mikke stop. That also undercut Jason a bit, since he didn’t really want the dragon fighting all his battles for him.

“I’m from the Wildlands. I didn’t know him very well, but did meet Mikko at court a few times,” Jason said. He shrugged when Mikke continued to stare at him suspiciously. “We didn’t talk for very long, and he’s gone now, but before he left I asked him to tell my family I’m alive. They were worried.”

“What? No, they shouldn’t have worried. I would never let anything harm you!” Darcy growled. “What kind of dragon do they think I am? My reputation can’t possibly be that terrible.”

“The kind who carries off knights and eats them?” Jason suggested. Darcy’s indignation floundered, remembering his initial mistake. He looked miserable enough Jason reached over and patted a claw. “Don’t worry. I’m certain Mikko will let them know I’m safe and tell them about what kind of dragon you are.”

The rest of the visit went without a hitch. Once Mikke was no longer on the defensive about his previous visitors he was surprisingly talkative. Sounded a bit like a wizard to Jason, but was otherwise a decent chap as far as dragons went. He was a bit evasive about why socks were such a large part of his hoard, however Jason eventually wriggled an answer out of him; they were all gifts from Nino. That suggested the dragon was far closer to the humans than he seemed willing to admit. Jason did not press the issue.

Since the visit had gone so well Darcy flew them home along a different route. This time he stayed low to the ground and showed Jason a winding path along a steep ridge that technically bridged the distance between the dragons’ caves. They’d need to build a few ladders and shift some boulders along the path, but if Jason wanted, he could start visiting Mikke if he wanted without Darcy.

That also meant Darcy was willing to let Jason wander around the mountaintops without supervision. He wouldn’t just be trapped at the cave anymore and could explore. Perhaps he’d even find a route down the mountains. Before Darcy’s breakdown that level of trust was unthinkable from the dragon. When Jason pointed this out Darcy laughed.

“You’ve earned it,” Darcy said. “You could have left with that wizard, but you didn’t. You stayed. If that didn’t prove you’re mine, I don’t know what would. You deserve to traverse my domain how you please since I think you can handle anything you come across. Don’t go unarmed though; there are trolls and I think a giant lives somewhere in this range.”

“Got it. I promise I won’t,” Jason agreed. It was the easiest promise he had ever made.

After that the pair repaired the path to make it traversable for humans. Then Jason started regularly visiting Mikke when he got bored and Darcy was away. Those visits usually resulted in Jason helping the dragon sort his sock collection. Otherwise he just liked to explore the lands surrounding his new home. The range had enough mountain goats in it Jason was considering catching a few to make a herd. Any chance to add variety into his diet was worth the effort cultivating took. Besides, he missed milk and cheese.

One day while Darcy was out looking for Vikings or monasteries to pillage—apparently those were the two best sources for fresh gold—Jason went to Mikke’s cave to help him with his sock collection. Personally, Jason would prefer to sort the socks and precious metals into separate piles and sleep on the former, but he wasn’t a dragon. Apparently, dragon scales went brittle and groady if they weren’t regularly bathed in the ethereal properties a dragon’s hoard possessed. That was why dragons were always on the hunt for more gold. 

Jason knew this because the last time he visited Mikke he went on at length about the importance of proper nutritional supplementation for dragon health. Admittedly, his dragon sample size was only three, but Mikke was definitely the weirdest dragon Jason knew. At times he seemed more like a wizard than a reptile. Jason felt confident in that assessment because he had met a heck of a lot of wizards over the years. Maybe Mikko and that Nino fellow had rubbed off on Mikke.

While he was balling mated pairs under Mikke’s watchful gaze, Nino showed up unexpectedly. The wizard’s assistant looked nervous and shifty to Jason, which was understandable as his wizard was nowhere in sight. If he had a choice Jason wouldn’t have visited a dragon in his den without a battalion of support behind him; though to be honest Jason didn’t really need that any more, at least not for Darcy or his friends. Jason hoped Nino wasn’t planning to do anything foolish like steal from a dragon right in front of them. That was a great way to end up dead.

“Nino, what a pleasant surprise,” Mikke said. The dragon quickly scratched behind his crests with a hind leg. That was interesting. Darcy only preened like that when he wanted to look his best, like when he first introduced Jason to Shannon. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to say goodbye,” Nino said.

“Goodbye? Why would you say goodbye?” Mikke demanded. His tail lashed viciously as smoke began wafting out of his nose. Nino backed up a few steps.

Jason grabbed a mace lying in the pile. He’d be absolutely useless if Nino pissed Mikke off enough to try and eat him, but the knight couldn’t just stand idle as an innocent was eaten.

“Mikko’s funding for me ran out. He had only budgeted enough through the end of last year, when you were expected to successfully defend your thesis and earn your mastery.” Nino shrugged helplessly. “We all assumed you’d pick me up then, but you decided to stay up here instead. Mikko kept me on for as long as he could, mostly in hopes it would lure you home, but he can no longer support me. I’m being reassigned.”

“But surely Mikko can get more funding; he’s the king’s top wizard!” Mikke snarled.

“I was primarily your assistant and without you needing me, Mikko’s team is fully staffed,” Nino snapped. “Have you met King Ryan? He’s understanding, but wouldn’t approve funding for an unneeded position. That’s why I’m being reassigned to Vanek.”

“No!” Mikke hissed. Plumes of smoke wafted from his nostrils. “Vanek is lazy and cuts corners! He doesn’t ensure proper safety measures for his students and assistants!”

“That’s probably why he’s the only wizard with openings in his staff.”

“He’ll get you turned into a frog! Or a jellied brain in a jar!”

“I’ll have to take that chance. There aren’t any other options for me,” Nino admitted. “I tried finding work with the new piping project at the college, but they already have all the unmagical skilled labor they need. My work with you has left me too overqualified to work with anyone, but Vanek.”

“I will not stand for this!” Mikke howled, sparks flying.

He advanced on Nino. Jason rose with the mace and charged. Not at the dragon, that would be suicide, but at Nino. If he was quick enough they could get both of them out of the way to safety before the dragon started rampaging. However, before he could get anywhere close enough to Nino Mikke did something strange. The dragon reached up and pulled a thick gold ring off his finger. In a blaze of light the dragon disappeared and instead a man with long exceptional greasy hair stood there. He held the gold ring, now the size of an armband, in his hand. It was startling enough Jason halted in his tracks.

“You’re human,” Jason said in surprise. Being a wizard would certainly explain why Mikke didn’t sound like a dragon.

“Vanek is not having you!” Mikke shouted, red in the face.

“You took off the armband,” Nino said, a surprised smile spreading across his face.

“Damn right, I’m going to march right up to him and tell Vanek he can’t have you!” Mikke continued. He looked petulantly at Nino. “You’re mine.”

“He’s not going to listen to you, you’re still an apprentice,” Nino said. “You know Vanek’s the sort of fellow who only heeds other wizards.”

“Then I will defend my thesis, earn my mastery, and put him in his place, wizard to wizard!” Mikke bent down, scooped a sock full of gold and shoved the filled article of clothing into Nino’s hands. “Here’s your funding until I secure my position. In the mean time, you stay away from Vanek!”

“Aye-aye boss,” Nino laughed.

“I made this to gather my research for my mastery dissertation,” Mikke said. He turned to Jason and thrust the gold armband into his hands. The knight gingerly accepted it, fearing that if he handled it wrong he might cause the magic to misfire. “I don’t need it anymore, but I imagine it will come in handy for you, if you wish to stay with Darcy. He’s a good chap, if a bit young, I wish you both well.”

“What does it do?” Jason asked, certain he already knew the answer. Still, best to double-check before the instruction manual left in a fit of rage.

“It turns a human into a dragon or a dragon into a human. Pretty useful if you’re shacking up with one, eh?” Nino said, waggling his eyebrows. Jason ignored that last comment. Darcy was too scaly and helpless to be sexy.

“I never tested it on a dragon, so I do not know how well the reversal spell works,” Mikke said, “but the human to dragon spell works fine. Just don’t stay in that form too long. It makes one want to stay a dragon.”

“Got it,” Jason said.

“And Jason, if you ever make it back down to the Wildlands’s court, know that you have a friend in the wizard Mikael Granlund,” Mikke said. Nino waved at Jason, which made him wave back. Mikke grabbed Nino by the arm and in a puff of cabbage-scented smoke they were gone.

Jason gave into his first instinct and slipped on the armband. Immediately thereafter Jason’s body burst into light and heat. It was searing blistering heat like being caught in dragon’s fire. He was instantly lost in the pain. However, as suddenly as it began it also stopped. When Jason finally opened his eyes everything was different. Not only had his vantage point and what he could see of his body drastically changed, but he could also see new colors unlike anything else he had experienced.

He twisted and flexed, feeling previously unknown muscles respond as if he had been born with them. That was an odd enough thought it set his spines on edge, which was an even stranger feeling. His scales were iron red with a thick glossy sheen that he had come to associate with healthy dragons. When he tried to test their tensile strength by tapping an arm against rock the boulder cracked in two. Jason barely felt a thing. If this was the sort of strength all dragons naturally possessed it was nothing short of a miracle Darcy hadn’t accidentally killed him months ago. Restraint clearly wasn’t a natural dragon talent.

Jason wanted to know what kind of dragon he was. Darcy and Mikke seemed to be of the same sort, but Shannon was clearly different, both in color and morphology. What he could see of his body it looked fairly stout and compact like the boys. Perhaps the differences were sex based. Jason realized he was starting to sound like Mikke, so he tried breathing fire. He figured it would be something like vomiting, or perhaps hiccupping, but all his attempts to induce dragon breath simply left him feeling queasy.

Eventually Jason hiccupped up his breakfast, which was when he decided to quit. He could figure out the little details after he shared the news with Darcy. After all, if Mikke was right about the armband turning him into a dragon, hopefully he was right about it turning a dragon into a human as well. Jason couldn’t wait to try out that feature. If it worked, he could go home and take Darcy with him, which would give the dragon a new family. He might even make a better human than dragon.

Before Jason knew it his wings were unfurled and he was a dozen feet off the ground. Startled by the sudden change Jason froze up and dropped, but he managed to get his wings flapping again before he crashed. It seemed his dragon form responded faster to wants and emotions than it did to actual thought. That explained the stories that dragons were thoughtless beasts driven by instinct. He took a few passes around the vicinity of Mikke’s cave to make certain he could handle the basics of flight then set off toward Darcy’s cave.

Flying as a dragon was completely different to riding one. As much as he loved flying, there were drawbacks doing it as a human. He’d get cold easily, at higher speeds couldn’t keep his eyes open due to the wind, and there was always a chance he’d be dropped. So far Darcy had always caught him whenever Jason fell, but he only had to miss once to end the knight. None of those issues applied flying as a dragon as he stayed toasty without the slightest fear of falling. Even more surprisingly, he now had a transparent eyelid, like birds or frogs, which allowed him to fly unhindered. That certainly explained why Darcy wasn’t normally bothered by wind or smoke. Jason could get used to this.

The cave had just come into view when a piercing shriek filled the skies. Darcy came barreling out of the sky with the sun behind him, slamming into Jason as he tried to remain airborne. The enraged green dragon raked his claws along the transformed knight’s underbelly. After several passes claws tore through scale to rend flesh. Jason howled in pain as he tried to bat Darcy away, but the dragon held on. The muscles shifted in his throat allowing something to spew forth. Darcy roared again, but this time in pain rather than rage. Sparks crackled along his scales and his movements seemed jerky compared to the typically smooth motions normally associated with the species.

Jason shoved him away as hard as he could to make some distance between them. He didn’t understand he was being attacked. Sure, Darcy had mentioned dragons being territorial, but this was absurd. He hadn’t been doing anything threatening, yet Darcy had tried to gut him. Frankly, Jason found this behavior incredibly hurtful, both physically and emotionally.

“What the hell, Darcy?” Jason demanded, unnerved by the serpentine quality tingeing his voice.

“This is my territory!” Darcy hissed. There were still sparks on him, but less then before as the dragon made aggressive wing movements. Jason had a feeling Darcy would take another run at him the moment he was able to. “Be gone or I will destroy you!”

“Dude, let me land and we’ll talk this out,” Jason said. He dropped a couple feet, which was the wrong move to make. Darcy immediately charged him and he was barely able to dodge in time. “Darcy, seriously, this isn’t funny!”

“Leave!” Darcy howled.

“If you calm down I will make you some goddamn tea,” Jason snarled. “I’m pretty certain Shannon and Nana would be furious by how rude you’re being to your princess right now!”

“You leave my princess out of it!” Darcy roared, using fire to back up his sentiment. He blew massive columns of flame, forcing Jason to back away from his mountain. “If you’ve harmed a hair on Jason’s head, you’ll beg for a clean death before I’m through with you!”

“Darcy, it’s me! It’s Jason!” Jason shouted, dodging fireballs hurled his way.

Using Mikke’s magic ring immediately was a terrible idea. He should have realized Darcy wouldn’t recognize him as a dragon and that he’d defend their home to the death if there was any threat to Jason. He had just wanted to see if the ring would work on him before he told Darcy about it. Didn’t want to needlessly raise their hopes. Once Jason was a dragon, everything felt so natural he hadn’t thought about his change in form and simply assumed Darcy would innately recognize him.

Darcy chased him while spewing fire all the way back to Mikke’s territory. Jason dive-bombed into the cave in hopes that would delay Darcy long enough that he could get the ring off before Darcy attacked again. 

“Mikke! Help me kill this interloper!” Darcy roared. “Mikke! Where are you? Have you already slain Mikke, you fiend?”

“No!” Jason shouted back as he scrambled into Mikke’s treasure room. “He’s fine! Darcy, slow down for a moment and I swear I’ll explain everything! Knight’s honor!”

Fire filled the main hall of the dragon cavern for a solid minute. Jason was grateful for his dragon form, as it kept him from immediate incineration. Darcy’s voice echoed down the hall. “Surrender now and I promise your end will be swift.”

“I surrender! Please look carefully before you attack, otherwise you’ll regret it!” 

Jason pulled the ring off. The magic returned him to his original form in a flash of light. Groaning, he slid to the floor and leaned against the wall. He felt like an overstuffed sausage with his guts bursting out. While the cuts on his torso hadn’t seemed that bad as a dragon, they were a different story now that he was human again. Plus, he imagined the acrobatic chase through the sky hadn’t done them any favors. He knew where the first aid supplies were back at their cave, but he wasn’t in any shape to go fetch them.

“Jason?” Darcy said in surprise. He bent over the knight and nuzzled him lightly until Jason pushed him away. “What are you doing here? There’s an iron dragon about; you need to be careful! Where is he? We need to find Mikke!”

“Darcy,” Jason began, but the dragon tore out of the treasure room searching for his foe. Jason rolled his eyes, deciding to wait him out. Darcy would return as soon as he had finished investigating the cave system. If Jason chased after him he’d make his injuries worse.

“Jason, why are you still sitting here?” Darcy asked, altering him to the dragon’s return. “Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, my stomach’s torn open,” Jason grumbled. It hurt and while he wasn’t afraid of gore, which was a typical part of his job, he didn’t like looking at his own gore.

“Not your cute pink belly!” Darcy wailed. “I’ll make that iron dragon regret the day he hatched!”

“Darcy, chill,” Jason snapped. He was out of patience. “I was the iron dragon. You gutted me!”

“What? How?”

“Mikke was a secret wizard who used a magic armband-ring-thing to turn into a dragon.” Jason limply shook the armband, which was still clutched tightly in his hand. “He didn’t need it anymore, so he gave it to me. Said it could turn a man into a dragon and a dragon into a man. I… wanted to try being a dragon.”

“Oh Jason.” 

Darcy carefully gathered Jason up in his paws. With his wings at half-mast, the dragon made an awkward bipedal shuffle out of the cavern. Jason snorted as he watched. While Darcy would stand on his hind legs, he never walked on them. Dragons were quadrupeds who also flew at heart. Using his wings for balance while walking was unnatural, but he did it to carry Jason more securely, for his comfort. As soon as they emerged from the cave Darcy took off.

“My poor Jason,” Darcy crooned. “I promise to make everything better.”

Jason smiled and placed a hand over Darcy’s heart. It was buried deep in the dragon’s chest, but at this distance he could feel the rapid beat. He didn’t remember much of the flight, except it was cold and seemingly endless. Both could be tricks of his injury; Jason was fairly certain he had a fever, which was a common side effect of belly wounds. He didn’t know how Darcy was going to fix this, since he didn’t know a thing about human medicine nor had the right sort of magic, but Jason put his faith in him. So far his instincts hadn’t led him wrong.

When Jason woke he felt groggy and had a dry mouth, but no pain. He was more alarmed to find himself in his room, the one back home with his parents and not the cavern room that had been his for over a year. As happy as he was to be here again something had to be seriously wrong for Jason to be here. Where was Darcy? He didn’t even see a single scale. He had to find the dragon before he got in trouble.

“Wait, Jason,” Mikko said, clasping a firm hand on his shoulder when he tried to get out of bed. “Your fever only broke this morning after raging for several days. I was sent for when your family’s doctor could not help. You are not ready to get up, though I believe the only lasting effects of your injury will be a scar down your center.”

“But I have to find Darcy before he gets himself slain!” Jason insisted. “That stupid lizard doesn’t understand people!”

“There are no lizards here, other than the little ones typical of the region,” Mikko said. When Jason’s face visibly fell the wizard smiled. “However, you were brought home by a man named Darcy.”

“What?” Jason asked. He distinctly remembered Darcy flying. There was no place around their lands where a dragon could have landed without being spotted. They lived east of the Hydra’s swamp, but that was still close enough to the Western Mountains for a historical fear of dragons. He must have used the ring and carried Jason quite a distance.

“Your mother has taken to him,” Mikko continued. “Insisted on keeping him by her side and accepted his story about your rescue without question.”

“Oh wow,” Jason said. His mother could be a little overwhelming. Darcy didn’t stand a chance. “What was his story?”

“He said he found you at the bottom of the mountain and brought you home. It’s a good thing everyone is too happy to have you home to question it. Even for a dragon he’s a terrible liar.” Mikko grinned at the obvious shock on Jason’s face. “I was Mikael’s master for over twenty years. Of course I know about his thesis project. Mikke will be overjoyed to hear the reverse is also effective.”

“I need to see him,” Jason insisted. “The moment Mom knows I’m okay she’ll have the truth out of Darcy and then they’ll kill him for being himself. I can’t let that happen.”

“Alright,” Mikko said. He again grasped Jason’s shoulder comradely. “I shall see what I can do.”

Jason coughed, waving away the cabbage smoke. They were now in the kitchen and Mikko had expertly teleported them in such a way that the knight was seated on the kitchen table. The baroness dropped her piecrust when she saw her son and rushed over to hug him. He gladly hugged her back, but his gaze was fixed on Darcy. The man had stilled, the way only reptiles did, clutching a knife and half peeled apple in his hands. Jason didn’t recognize him, but he knew this had to be his Darcy. No one but a dragon could possibly have literal smoldering eyes. It was actually a little off-putting, but everything else about him was pleasing to Jason’s eye.

“I’m so happy you’re alive, Jason,” she laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. “You are never leaving my sight again!”

“I love you too, Mom,” Jason laughed, “but that’s going to get awkward the moment I need to use the bathroom again.”

“Lady Natalie, please come with me. We need to discuss your son’s care,” Mikko said gravely.

“Of course,” Lady Natalie nodded, her expression turning to concern. Mikko offered her his arm and she gladly took it.

“I promise, there is no need to worry.” Mikko turned and winked at Jason over his mother’s head as he led her out of the kitchen. “As long as he doesn’t overexert himself he should be fine.”

“Darcy?” Jason began as soon as the others were out of the room. “It’s really you?”

“Yes,” Darcy confirmed. He pointed to his golden armband. “I found Mikke’s ring and put it on after carrying you here.”

“How did you find my family’s lands?”

“You’ve shown me the way on our maps back home so many times I could fly here in my sleep.”

“You didn’t know the would work. Mikke never actually tested it on a dragon. They would have killed you!”

“You were going to die,” Darcy whispered. “You’re worth the risk.”

Jason growled at Darcy’s reckless behavior, then launched himself at the other man, which was equally reckless because he still had a knife in hand, Luckily, the dragon’s reflexes were lightning quick even in this form. He dropped the knife then caught the knight in a fluid motion. Then Darcy rose to his feet cradling Jason against him. It was in that moment that Jason realized while his dragon now appeared human; he was an absurdly large one.

Jason met Darcy’s eyes. He had met them hundreds of times before, but this time something clicked. He tilted his head and their lips met. The kiss was a faint brush at first, until Darcy threw his all into the kiss as well. Before they could progress beyond necking—and honestly, Jason was fairly certain Darcy didn’t have a clue how these things progressed between humans—Jason heard his mother shriek.

“Jason, you’re under strict orders not to exert yourself!” the Baroness reprimanded. “And you do not do _that_ on the kitchen table!”

“Does this mean Jason’s engaged?” Kimmie, Jason’s little sister, asked. Mikko covered his eyes.

“Umm…” Jason glanced up at Darcy, who just smiled at him. “Yes.”

“And you think Mom and Dad’ll approve?” Kimmie persisted.

“He rescued Jason from a dragon!” Lady Natalie said, as if that was all that mattered.

“Jason would have eventually rescued himself,” Kimmie said dismissively. “Is Darcy marriage material?”

“I have gold. A lot of gold,” Darcy offered.

“It’s inherited along with lands and a title,” Jason added. Dragon was technically a title.

“Oh, wait until I tell your father,” Lady Natalie laughed. She ushered Kimmie out of the kitchen muttering something about one down and four to go.

“Are you certain you want to do this?” Mikko frowned. “He’s still a dragon.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, ruffling Darcy’s hair. “I already agreed to stay with him when he was scaly and, now that he can appear presentable to my folks, I’ve gotta keep him.”

“The Western Mountain Range is yours, correct?” Mikko asked.

“Everything south of the permanent snow belt,” Darcy nodded.

“Then you own an Earldom. There should be a crumbling manor as well,” Mikko sighed. “I’ll find the paperwork and get things straighten out before the wedding. Consider it a wedding gift contingent upon the Wildlands not having an influx of dragon attacks.”

“Understood,” Jason said. Mikko nodded and made yet another cabbage scented exit. At least it wasn’t as noticeable in the kitchen. Jason grinned at Darcy. “We should find that manor and move in.”

“Why? I love our cave,” Darcy said.

“I like it too,” Jason agreed, surprised by the truth in that statement, “but can you imagine hosting my mother there?”

“Fine,” Darcy sighed. “Does this ‘marriage’ mean I can keep you, princess?”

“Only if you swear to never call me that in front of anyone else. Also, you need to learn how to at least pretend to be human.”

“Okay,” Darcy grinned. “I love you, princess.”

Jason couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face as he pulled Darcy down to bump their foreheads together. “I love you too.”


End file.
